Skip to main content
Log in

Folding a Triangle — Optimally

Optimization Under Constraints

  • General Article
  • Published:
Resonance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

How should you fold a triangular piece of paper, satisfying some constraints and optimizing an objective function?

We hope you enjoy the interplay among geometry, algebra, trigonometry and calculus as we solve the problems, and be inspired to pose and solve more problems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Suggested Reading

  1. James Stewart, Calculus, 8 ed., Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, p.268, 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Anil Kumar, Calculus: Application of Derivatives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL7o7p09R0o

  3. Eric W. Weisstein, Optimize the length of the crease of a folded piece of paper, MathWorld—A Wolfram Web Resource. https://demonstrations.wolfram.com/.

  4. Stack Exchange: Mathematics, Folding a rectangular paper and finding the area of the triangle so formed. https://math.stackezchange.com/questions/1092941.

  5. Paper folding: Maximizing the area of a triangle, Leading to Success in Algebra 2 Workshop 2003. https://studylib.net/doc/5888914/.

  6. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Mathematics of paper folding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_of_paper_folding.

  7. Jyotirmoy Sarkar, Slicing a prism optimally: Motivating students to study calculus. Blackboard—The Bulletin of the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India). To appear.

  8. Eric W. Weisstein, Cubic Formula, MathWorld—A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/CubicFormula.html.

  9. J. Makesh Pravin, When are the roots of a cubic real?, Resonance: Journal of Science Education, Vol.5, No.5, pp.86–89, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, The Law of Sines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_sines.

  11. H. Dörrie, The Delian Cube-Doubling Problem, §35 in 100 Great Problems of Elementary Mathematics: Their History and Solutions, New York: Dover, pp.170–172, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  12. R. Courant and H. Robbins, What Is Mathematics?: An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods, 2nd ed., Revised by Ian Stewart, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, pp.117, 125–127, 330–331, 346–352, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

I sincerely thank the members of the Journeymen friends group who participated in a paper folding experiment. Thanks are due to an anonymous referee who wrote some encouraging remarks and the Editor who suggested an improvement.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jyotirmoy Sarkar.

Additional information

Jyotirmoy Sarkar is a Professor working at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His research areas include enumeration, probability, statistics, and reliability theory. He enjoys reading,’ riting,’ rithmetic and R-coding.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sarkar, J. Folding a Triangle — Optimally. Reson 28, 1549–1567 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1690-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1690-5

Keywords

Navigation